If the stance taken by BJP President Nitin Gadkari is carefully observed, there are clear indications that the saffron party is aiming to rise above caste politics and embrace the development agenda, which means the party is likely to divorce its Hindutva agenda.
This was apparent after Gadkari announced his wish to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections looking for support from all voters irrespective of religion, caste or creed.u00a0
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Gadkari was in the city to share his views on the city and Mumbai’s development at an event held at Symbiosis International Management school campus yesterday.
Speaking at the event, Gadkari, who is believed to be a staunch RSS man, proclaimed that support from all sections is important since elections cannot be won with the support of only businessmen and that the vote of slum dwellers is alsosignificant.
Gadkari’s announcement came as a big surprise and indicates that the party intends to woo voters on the development card. Gadkari’s announcement comes close on the heels of his party’s third consecutive win in Gujarat on the agenda of development.
Putting all the political theories to rest, Gadkari further announced that he was no more interested in state politics, indicating that the state terrain was open to his political opponent former state deputy CM and present deputy opposition leader in Lok Sabha Gopinath Munde, who is considered to be Gadkari’s diehard political opponent.
Following Modi
Reacting to the political overtures, city-based political analyst from Political Research and Analyst Bureau, Chandrakant Bhujbal said that the statements made by Gadkari were a clear intimation of his interest in the prime ministerial post.
“Noticing the developmental politics of Gujarat CM Narendra Modi and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, Gadkari has realised that if he wants to succeed at national politics, he has to keep away from the popular ideology of Sangh, and he has already started working on it,” Bhujbal said.
Another political scholar Prakash Pawar said that Gadkari’s statement about not wishing to come back to the state was a clear-cut message of giving the charge of state leadership to Munde and to keep the charge of national politics to himself.
“Along with his wish to stay back in national politics, his remark on taking all sections of people along with him irrespective of cast and creed doesn’t mean he wants to banish the ideology of Hindutva. He is following the true ideology of Sangh which focuses assimilation of various factors of society,” Pawar said. u00a0
‘Pakistan should have apologised’
Gadkari condemned the brutal killing of Indian soldiers by Pakistani soldiers in J&K. He said that the issue is no longer restricted between India and Pakistan and the United Nations must boycott Pakistan for such dastardly acts. Gadkari added that Pakistan at least should have apologised and expressed its regret, but it is putting the blame on us for violating the ceasefire agreement. Gadkari while lashing out at Union government said that PM Manmohan Singh should take tough action in this regard. u00a0u00a0
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